Overview
- WhatsApp has opened reservations for unique usernames that let people be found and contacted without sharing their phone number, while accounts still require a phone number to register.
- India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology formally asked Meta on July 1 to suspend the rollout and to explain why the feature should not face legal action, citing risks of fraud, phishing and impersonation.
- Independent tests and user reports showed lookalike or variant names could be claimed by others, and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said his familiar handle 'cz_binance' was already taken, raising concerns about impersonation.
- Meta says it has reserved usernames for public figures, authorities and verified Meta accounts, and it plans technical limits, detection systems and an optional four‑digit PIN key to restrict who can contact a user by username.
- Because India is WhatsApp's largest market, the government's pause could delay the global rollout and has sparked a wider debate between regulators seeking quick controls and digital‑rights groups warning against feature‑level bans.